The Indian Village

Sunday, December 31, 2006

O.k., I admit to being a tad late on the Christmas post, so trying to redeem myself I will set up this offering:

Every year it's the same in my house. Thor becomes a small child around this time of year in antiscipation of a new year on the horizon. Full of promise and new opportunity he loves the idea of goal setting, life changing habits, and renewed energy; the ending of all the old bad stuff from the past year, the dead wood being burned, and the basic "new start"!

He giggles with delight as he sees himself slim, firm and tanned in a few short months splashing in a Hawaiian surf. He contently sighs as he imagines his new controlled and managed office, full of inspired coworkers being ever so efficient. He organizes his palm pilot and rearranges the desk, throws out stacks of old papers and gets ready for tax day! Yup, Thor is one of those guys who has the taxes accomplished as soon as the W-40s arrive in the mail. (I'm not really sure that's what they are called, that's how excited I am about taxes!)

His love of tax paying (NOT), but rather getting the deed done, comes from a favorite Aunt, who is a tax gal. Every year for his entire life his folks went to Aunt M for advice and number crunching. We went to her also, until the idea of getting it done faster appealed more than family obligation. Anyway, Aunt M is SO completely into taxes that she, in planning her soon to be end, has informed the hospice care workers that she is to be kept alive until the new year so that Uncle K can have another year of "benefits". Yup, she's a character, and we love her.

Back to Thor. He has a ritual. He takes down his share of Christmas (I don't even start until Jan.6th). He cleans out his files and goes through his "top drawer" for important receipts and papers. He cleans things randomly to burn energy. This year he is taking charge of an over run side and back yard. There are a few odd house jobs and then when all is done, he sits at his desk and pulls out a legal pad.

All those thoughts, the ones that have been formulating for weeks are now placed down on paper. Goals. All kinds of goals. Every year, without exception there is one for weight, exercise, money management, and better health. Others soon follow and he smiles to himself in satisfaction at his new found purpose in life.

After a few hours of contemplation he will prioritize the list and place it permenantly into the palm for a daily reminder. He admonishes me from time to time with quotes from prophets and world leaders who remind us that nothing is accomplished without a plan and daily goals to achieve them.

Most of all he loves the new start. The feeling of being able to start again new and fresh. The new day to make it right and be a better man, father, husband, friend, and "boss". He can forget the past mistakes of last year. A new day to be a new man.

For me, well I am not a fan of making more mistakes, of falling short, and making promises I may never keep...even to myself. So I have avoided the resolution part of New Year's Day for as long as I can remember. I don't like lists, I am not a fan of the typical New Year's Eve party, and a lot of it makes me a tad depressed.

We have agreed to disagree. For years Thor has tried to convince me and I have been stubborn. I look at it differently. I am religious. I admit it. I bite it all -hook, line, and sinker. And for me, my particular religion provides me with a way to have a new start, a new beginning, every week. Each Sunday I partake of an ordinance that I believe creates a new person in me. I have made covenants to God that, if I do certain things, God will forgive me in such a way that it will be a clean start each week. That works for me.

Thor also partakes in the same ordinances that I do, however his New Year's resolutions are still important for him. This isn't wrong, nor is mine wrong. For me, I need that weekly reassurance, that short time frame to renew and make new goals...privately, but yeah, I admit that I do make those same goals. For me, I can make it week to week, a year is just too long to check progress. Thor has more endurance, more patience, more determination a and faith in his ability to get the job done!

The one thing we do agree on is that we both LOVE new things, changes, variety. We wouldn't mind moving each year if we could just get up and move. It's the hassle of packing and unpacking, and the whole address change and bills being forwarded that make it nasty. Meeting new people and having different experiences and jobs would be welcomed. New. New!

Another is that if we could influence all we know to be happy, truly happy and content, we would snap our fingers and do it. We enjoy our life and wish for all we know to have the same.

Happy New Year to you, my readers. I wish you happiness and the ability to find contentment and joy in your life. I wish you a new year of memories and health, a curious Spirit, a creative edge, a thirst for knowledge, and opportunities to serve. I wish you all compassion and an open mind and heart, open ears to hear truth, and hands that welcome, and a heart that continues to grow. May we all find some where to contribute. May we find joy in little things. I wish us all the sight to find need and the time and wherewithal to fulfill those needs.

Thanks to all of you who read this little scrap of e-whatever. Thanks for the comments and support, friendship; and challenges when necessary. It's been a great past year...here's to a new year full of surprises and growth!

4 comments:

Happy New Year! I am with Thor. I get very excited about New beginnings, setting goals, making lists and plans. I Love that kind of thing. It did begin to get discouraging when I noticed that I had the same lists of goals year after year. Something has changed in me since I have been sick. The things that I have tried so hard unsuccessfully to change have been falling away (kind of reminds me of the refiners fire burning away impurities). We have seen more things change at a deep, internal level that all the years of *trying* couldn't come close. For that, we are both so grateful. Our life feels better now than it has for a long time. And I am still in a place where I rarely leave my house and can only handle being around people for a short amount of time.

It is amazing the happiness that we have found in the life that we are currently able to live. I found through hard experience that changing my circumstances didn't make me happy. I thought that living close to my parents would do it, being married to someone with a stable job, having a house, children, etc. It was a shock when I received everything that I thought I wanted and found that I still wasn't happy. From that I have learned that if you become happy first, wherever you are (bloom where you are planted), then when you receive added blessings, you will thoroughly enjoy them and be happy still. Happiness is an inside job, from the inside out. This sounds good, maybe I should write a post about it.

Taxes, on the other hand, we are usually scrambling to get them done by the deadline. THAT is one thing that I hope changes with everything else.

Oh my dear pal Smee - I too was one of those who didn't do the resolutions thing - (I still don't generally call them that) until I switched to ONE thing I was going to change. No useless ranting of diets and the rest - just ONE major resolution and every year it is the same.

About Me

Just an ordinary gal trying to get from there and back again. These are some of our family favourites, hope you like them too.
Some of the recipes don't have photos; I'll add photos next time I make the recipe, k?